Give great gifts while sticking to a budget

Saimi Bergmann

Wednesday

Nov 30, 2011 at 12:01 AMNov 30, 2011 at 9:33 PM

Budgeting and planning are a crucial first step if you don’t want to be paying off Christmas shopping bills in the spring. Erin Huffstetler, frugal living guide for About.com, offers advice on how to stick to a budget while still giving great gifts.

If you don’t want to be paying off Christmas bills when the daffodils bloom, you had better make a list and check it twice.

As with all financial endeavors, planning is key for successful Christmas shopping.

“Budgeting and planning are crucial,” said Erin Huffstetler, frugal living guide for About.com. “Before you set foot in a store, sit down and look at who you are going to shop for, what you can afford to spend. Without this, people tend to overspend. This simple step really does make a big difference.”

In a phone interview earlier this week, Huffstetler answered questions about finding great gifts while sticking to a tight budget.

Q. How can we keep spending under control but not look or feel cheap?

A. If you are buying for a family, instead of trying to get Aunt Susie, Uncle Tim and the kids each a gift, think about a gift for the whole family. Put your money toward one quality item instead of four or five junky items.

Q. Examples of quality family gifts?

A. A restaurant gift card, membership to a zoo or museum, a certificate for a family portrait, movie tickets — anything that gets them doing something together.

Q. What do you recommend for kids?

A. Something that’s fun to do. Buy them things that will teach them a life skill that later on helps them save money. Garden tools, their own tool box, their own sewing kit. Or a make-your-own-soap kit. An apron and baking supplies.

Q. For teens?

A. Right now, they are really into their e-books and music for iPads. Put $5 or $10 on an iTune card — something you know they’re going to use.

Q. For women?

A. Bars of great chocolate. Candles of high quality. A family cookbook. Just pull together everyone’s recipes — that can cost almost nothing to make.

Q. For men?

A. They can be tough. A knife sharpener for their pocket knife, kitchen knives. A digital tire gauge — tires wear out sooner if you don’t keep them properly inflated.

Q. Where should we shop?

A. Think about second-hand. People cringe, thinking giving used stuff is tacky, but it doesn’t have to be that way at all. Hit thrift stores and yard sales, and you’ll find new stuff or nostalgia items — maybe something they had as a kid or something for a collection, or their dish pattern. It shows you really know that person.

Q. What if our budget is extra tight? Gift ideas for less than $10?

A. If you’re trying to stick under $5 or $10, think of local food items particular to your area, like a local barbecue sauce or a local honey.

For more ideas from Erin Huffstetler, go to http://frugalliving.about.com.

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